Refrigerator construction



Aug. 4, 1931. v G. MUFFLY 4 1,816,863

REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION 4 Filed June 3, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gn oento'c EL EN/\/ MUFFLY Aug. 4, 1931. G. MUFFLY 1,315,863

REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION Fi1ed June 3, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwmmtoa 61cm mg GLEN/v MUFFLY Patented Aug. 4, 1931' UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE GLENN mount, on DETROIT, moment, ASSIGNOB T cornmuvn rnonuc'rs, me, i a oonroim'rron or MICHIGAN REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION Application filed June 3,

This invention relates to refrigerators, and particularly to that type commonly known as iceless refrigerators, inwhich two or more chambers are provided within the with the doors thereof removed, constructed a refrigerator cabinet, in one of which is provided a cooling unit, and in the other of which a heat dissipating unit is provided, said units'being suitably connected together by tubing or piping.

tion is to provide a construction of the type described wherein the cooling unit and the heat dissipating u it may be removed from the refrigerator w1thout the necessity of breaking any of the joints in'the piping between the two' units.

Another object is to provide in combination with a refrigerator having a pair of chambers provided with an insulating wall there-between, a cooling unit in one of the chambers, a heat dissipating unit .in the other, flexible tubing connecting said units together, and a notch or opening in an exposed edge of said insulating wall for the reception of said tubing whereby said units may be removed from the refrigerator without disconnecting said tubing. 1

A further object is to provide in combination with a refrigerating cabinet provided with a pair of chambers having an insulating wall therebetween, a cooling unit removably secured in one of the chambers, a heat dissipating unit removably secured within the otherof the chambers, flexible tubing connecting the units, and an opening in the insulating wall for the reception of the tubing, a suitable plug being provided for closing said opening about the tubing and so formed that both of said units may be removed from the cabinet without disconnecting the'tubing therebetween.

The above being among the objects of the present invention, the same consists in oer-- The principal object of the present inven- 1927. Serial No. 196,164.

out invention, and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, 1 p

Fig. 1 is a face view of a refrigerator in accordance with the present invention so that the cooling and heat dissipating units may be removed without disconnecting the tubing therebetween.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional" view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 centrally of the cooling unit.

Fig. 4 is a perspective 'view of the sheet metal supporting member for'the rear end of the cooling unit.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken centrally through the filler block in the opening between the upper and lower chambers, showing the manner in which it embraces the tubes connecting the cooling unit to the heat dissipating unit.

In refrigerators of the type described, it is the conventional practice to removably secure both the cooling unit and the heat dissipating unit within the chambers of the cabinet, and provide connections in the tubing or piping connecting the same and passing through the/wall therebetween, whereby when it is necessary to remove one or both of the units for the purpose of servicing upon removal. After such connections have been disconnected one or more times, it invariably results that it is difficult to thereafter reconnect the same to provide an absolutely tight joint, and in view of the cooling medium usually employed, and the principles of operation of the mechanism itself, any leakage through such connections is very disadvantageous. In addition, many of the types of cooling mediums employed in such refrigerators are such as to readil attack the metals*commonly used in such connections, with the result that such connections are liable to corrode and thereby increase the difiiculty of disconnecting them and reconnecting them to form a tight joint.

In the present invention I propose to provide a construction wherein the tubing between the cooling unit and the heat dissipating unit is permanently or otherwise secured to the respective units, means being provided whereby the units may be removed from the cabinet without disconnecting the ,tubing therebetweeen at any point. This allows the units to be removed for servicing without breaking the joint in the piping at any point, which breakage might induce subsequent leakage of the cooling fluid from r: a (n) the piping.

In the drawings, I showa refrigerator cabinet 10' having an upper chamber 11 and lowerchamber 12, an insulating wall 13 being interposed therebetween. Within the lower chamber 12 and secured to a base 14 removably secured to the bottom thereof by screws, bolts, or other suitable means 15, is a compressor 16, condenser coils 17 and receiver 18. Also removably secured within the lower chamber 12 by bolt screws or other suitable means 18 is a base 19 supportingan electric motor 20 positioned axially in alignment with the coils 17. The armature shaft of the motor 20 is' provided with a pulley 21 and a fan22, The pulley 23 on the compressor 16 is connected to the pulley 21 on the motor armature shaft, for the purpose of driving the compressor 16, by a suitable belt 24, suitable means (not shown) being provided adjusting the tension of the belt. The fan 22 is provided for directing air against the coils 17 for ,the purpose of cooling the same. 1

Within the upper chamber 11 is positioned a cooling unit comprising a hollow elliptically shaped, member 25 formed of two thicknesses of sheet metal slightly separated from each other between their ends to provide a small space therebetween for the passage of refrigerant therethrough. The rear end of the cooling unit 25 is socketed in the sheet metal supporting member shown in perspective in Fig. 4. This member comprises a main body portion 26v provided with upper and lower rearwardly bent portions 27 terminating in inwardly turned marginal flanges 28 which are secured to, the inner rear face of'the cabinet 10 by;- any suitable means such as screws and the like. The

5 side margins of the main body portion 26 are bent forwardly to present flanges 29 between whichthecooling unit 25' is adapted to fit, and tongues 30 are struck out of the rearward extending portions 27 .and bent 1 0* forwardly to provide a support for the lower faceof the cooling unit 25, and between 'which tongues the cooling unitis received.

In the body portion 26 below the upper I tongue '30 an opening 31 is provided, and aj nut 32 isfspot-welded or otherwisesuitably centrally of the unit 25, a suitable bolt 34' extending through the bracket 33 and unit 25 and being threadably received in the nut 32 on the rear supporting member previously described, the bolt 34 serving to draw the unit 25 up against the body portion 26 and clamping the unit 25 between the bracket 33 and thesame.

' A suitable metallic housing 35 is provided around the cooling unit 25,'the forward face of the same being provided with suitable openings whereby freezing trays 36 may be introduced into the interior of the freezing element 25, there to be supported by the members 37 extending between the opposite sides of the cooling unit 25. I 1

One end of the tubing forming the condensing coils 17 is secured to the discharge end of the compressor 16, and the other end of the tubing is connected to the receiver 18. A tube 38 connects thereceiver 18 with the bottom of the cooling unit 25 and another tube 39 connects the top portion of the cooling finit 25 with the inlet side of the compressor 16. The tube 38 immediately below the cooling unit 25 is bent into a goose-neck, and a tray 40 is provided therebelow, whereby any condensation dripping from the cool ing unit 25 will be precipitated into the tray 40 and will not be allowed to travel down into the tube 39 into the chamber 11.

The forward face of the insulating wall 13 between the chambers 11 and 12 is exposed, the doors 41 and 42 which close the open ends of the chambers 11 and 12 abutting against the outer edge of the wall 13 in closed position. wall 13 is provided a notch 43 for receiving the tubes 38 and 39, a filler member or block 44 being received within the notch 43 about the tubes 39 and 38 for closing the notch 43. The filler block 44 is preferably made of rubber and is split centrally from the forward face thereof, which is adapted to lie flush with the outer edge .of the wall 13 when in position, to a point adjacent the rear face thereof, suitable openings being provided on the line of split for the reception of the tubes 38 and 39. Upper and lower outwardly projecting flanges 45-are preferably provided on the filler block 44 for contact "with the upper and lower face of the wall 13, thereby to prevent misalignment of the liner 44 with respect to the wall 13, and to form a closer joint between the same.

The tubing 38 and '39 is of flexible type as soft copper, easily bendable, and is preferably provided with no joints between the cooling unit 25 and the receiver 17 and compressor 16, respectively. The respective ends In the outer edge of the compressor 16, condenser 17 and receiver 18 to be removed from the cabinet .10 without disconnecting the tubing 38' and 39 either between their ends or at their respective ends. This operation is simply performed by removing the screws or bolts 15 securing the base 14 in position. slipping off the belt 24,

withdrawing the filler block 44 from the notch 43 outwardly from the outer edge of the wall 13 and removing the bolt 34, where- .upon the cooling unit may be lifted out cal and placed on the floor, the tubes 38 and39 bending during this operation, and the base 13 may thereafter beslid out. It will thus be seen that both the cooling unit and the heat dissipating unit may be removed without breaking the connecting tubing therebetween, this feature allowing the tubing to be permanently secured in place between the units at the factory, and preventing any .necessity of breaking the joints in the piping or for provlding joints in the piping which,

when once broken. mayresult in a leak. liesides being fool-proof in this respect, the construction provided is simpler and more economical to build than the conventional construction, and more easily assembled and disassembled from the cabinet in which it is secured.

Furthermore, when it is desired to service the machine, it is possible to bodily remove it from the box. substitute another machine and take the defective one to a shop for repairs. This removal is made considerably more simple and easy to accomplish because the electrical motor, which is one of the heaviest parts of the machine, is provided on a separate base and need not be removed with the remainder of the machine. thus considerably lightening the assembly to be removed .and making possible the removal of most m'achines by a single workman.

I desire it to be understood that various equivalents for the'plu'g 44, herein described, may be utilized. For instance. a removable piece or plug may extend across the front face of the wall 13, instead of only partially across it and the pipes may be received in cut out portions in either the front of the fixed wall 13 or in the back of the removable piece or plug. My claims are to be construed accordingly.

Formal changes may be made in the spe ci-fic embodiment of the invention described without departing from-the spirit vor substance of the broad invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

through said notch, and a removable filler block received within said notch closely embracing said pipes.

2. In a refrigerator, a cabinet, a wall therein separating the interior thereof into two chambers, a heat dissipating unit in one of said chambers comprising a compressor, a condenser and a'receiver all secured to a unitary removable base, a cooling unit in the other of said chambers, an opening in said wall, a tube passing through said opening connecting said receiver to said coolingv unit, a tube passing through said opening connecting said cooling unit to said compressor, and means closing said opening removable from said wall in the direction of the plane thereof whereby said units may be removed from said cabinet without disconnecting said tubes.

3. In a refrigerator, a pair of chambers separated by a wall provided with an exposable edge. a notch in said exposable edge, a cooling unit removably secured within one of said chambers. a heat dissipating unit removably secured within the other of said chambers, tubing connecting said units passing through said notch, and a removable filler block surrounding said tubes and closing said opening. said filler block formed of resilient material centrally split in a vertical plane from its face to a point adjacent the rear edge thereof, and provided with openings on the line of split for reception of said tubing.

4. In a refrigerator, a moisture collecting cooling unit, a drip pan positioned thereunder, arefrigerant pipe connected to the lower part of said cooling unit above said drip pan and extending laterally over said drip pan. the laterally extending portion of said pipe having a bend therein in the vertical plane. with the lower portion of said bend disposed directly over said drip pan whereby all moisture collecting on the lateral portion. of said gravity into said drip pan.

. GLENN MUFFLY.

pipe will be led by 

